Unless youv’e been in a remote cave without electricity, you probably know that we’ve been barking up the group break tree again. This time it was for a case of 2011 Topps Finest football. After a mishap with pre-ordering and having to pay nearly $100 more than expected (my fault, not the vendor’s), the case arrived safe and sound on Friday.

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But it didn’t stay sealed for long…

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And just to make sure…

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Yep, there’s Cam Newton. We’ve got the right case and are good to go.

I didn’t want to take the time to scan or list every base card that was pulled. If you’re really interested in seeing some base cards, I am planning to use the first box from this case for a 1&G Product Review. There will be some base scans there. To review the base card policy for this break, the entire base stack was broken into team stacks. I then pulled off all duplicates so that no one was getting four or five copies of the same card. I then shuffled up the pile of duplicates and dispersed them evenly over all 32 team stacks so that every team lot had the same number of base cards (so teams that had 7 players in the base set got fewer “extra” cards from the duplicates stack than say a team that only had 3 players represented). All other duplicates were set aside until the end.

Next up were the “Finest Moments” insert cards. I did the same thing with the duplicates as I did with the base cards, but I believe there were only 2-3 duplicates here, so not everyone got one. Here is the scan:

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There were also 3 refractor Finest Moments cards. All of these (and all cards shown from here on) were dispersed to the proper teams:

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Next we have the base refractor cards. These aren’t the most sought after cards from the product, but they sure are sweet. There was a very large stack of basic refractor cards, so those didn’t get scanned either. There were not any duplicate refractors though, so all refractors went to the proper teams.

There were 17 X-Fractors pulled. These are numbered #/399:

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We also pulled four Black Refractors (#/99), three Gold Refractors (#/50), and two Mosiac Refractors (#/10). Interestingly enough, despite the two Mosiacs, we didn’t pull any red refractors (#/25) and we didn’t get any of the Printing Plates or Superfractors (both 1/1s). Here is the lump sum of our high refractors:

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Next up are the Finest Atomic Rookies. These fall one per mini box (16 per case). While technically not a “hit” by normal standards (there is no autograph, jersey swatch, or even a serial number), I figured these were rare enough, so even the duplicates went to the respective teams. We did manage to pull a Gold Superior (#/50) and a Mosiac Superior (#/10), so that was a nice touch.

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And now the moment everyone has been waiting for: the hits. According to the packaging, each mini box should contain a sequentially numbered autographed jumbo relic or an autographed rookie patch card. So that means we should be looking for 16 hits from this case.

First, here are six autographed jumbo relics. All of them are numbered #/589 except for the Von Miller (#/339) and the Ryan Williams (Red Refractor #/75).

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Next up are six autographed rookie patch cards. It is hard to tell from the scan and I forgot to write it down, but I believe these were also #/589. We did pull a Refractor (Marcell Dareus #/99), a Black Refractor (Andy Dalton #/75), and a Red Refractor (Colin Kaepernick #/50).

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Now, if you’re good at math, you may be saying to yourself, “Hey! That’s only 12 hits. I thought we were supposed to get 16. What the hell, man?!?” And you would be correct. And I would be correct. We were supposed to get 16 hits and I clearly only pulled 12. Well, unless you include these four redemption cards:

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Tom, the good news is that you got two Kyle Rudolph autographed rookie patch cards. The bad new is that you have to redeem both of them from Topps. Sorry about that.

So now we have 16 hits and all is settled and complete. Except, wait, what are these?

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Here are two ADDITIONAL rookie autographs! And they are autographed on-card to boot! Mr. Alex Green is a “basic” Rookie Autograph Refractor Variation card (#/150) and Mr. Jamie Harper is a Mosiac Rookie Autograph Refractor Variation card (a parallel of a parallel! #/10). So we didn’t pull the Superfractor auto of Cam Newton or Mark Ingram, but I doubt Mike or Joevison are complaining.

Once all of the inserts and hits were dispersed, I then went back through and again evened up the stacks so that everyone had an equal number of cards by spreading out the rest of the duplicate base cards. I think some of the base cards and even a few refractors from the “bank’s” teams (team slots that were not purchased and shall remain with me) got mixed in, but I’m not too worried about that. I just didn’t want someone to buy in and then walk away with three base cards of their chosen team.

On a side note, there were no multi-player cards, so there is no need to open up public polls to decide who gets what. All cards were able to go to the proper team slots and all duplicates were dispersed as evenly as possible, as promised in the group break details and as described above.

So there you have it. The group case break of 2011 Topps Finest is complete. A very special thank you to everyone who participated. Packages are already partially assembled and will hopefully go in the mail tomorrow.

These are always fun for me, although I’d like to get more participation so that I’m not keeping any of the cards. Be on the lookout for another group break in the somewhat near future (Topps Chrome, anyone?). As always, if you have any suggestions or requests, please let me know.

The case of 2011 Topps Finest football has been ordered! It was a day later than anticipated and ran me a few extra bucks (note to self: just pre-order it next time), but thanks to overnight shipping, we’ll still be on pace to receive and bust the case this holiday weekend.

Are you thinking to yourself, ‘Crap! I meant to get in on that action!’? Well, have no fear. Since the case has not been opened yet, we’re going to leave registration open through the weekend. Get your money and team picks in before it’s too late!

Due to some inquiries, it has been decided to switch the format of the 2011 Topps Finest case break from random team drawing to a you-pick-your-team(s) format. All currently paid entrants have given their blessing to the change and there was no overlap of favorite teams, so this will be a very smooth transition.

There are still lots of teams available. Since there will be no need for a team swapping window, we’ll run signups right up until the product is released/busted, which is still slated for late next week.

So as it turns out, I didn’t sit around and mope about the utter failure of my 2011 Topps Inception group case break attempt as long as I thought I would. In fact, about five hours after officially cancelling that break, I am ready to announce the next one. Hopefully this one has a bit better luck.

Now open for registration is a group case break of 2011 Topps Finest. I was looking into Topps Chrome, but that isn’t set to release until late October and I wanted to do something before then. Topps Finest is set to release in exactly two weeks, so hopefully we’ll get everything up and running so that I can purchase the case as soon as it goes live and get the cards into your hands shortly there after.

Here are the details:

CASE BREAK: 2011 TOPPS FINEST

Product: 2011 Topps FinestPrice per Entry: $27.50Total Slots Available: 32 TEAM slotsSelection Process: Teams will be assigned randomly followed by a trading window for entrants to try to secure their favorite NFL team(s)

I would like to have all 32 slots filled and paid by SUNDAY, AUGUST 28. That gives us 1.5 weeks to fill up and then we could have five days of team trading. During that span, I’ll be able to purchase the case and once it arrives (Friday, September 2?), we’ll lock down the team assignments, bust the case, and get those cards distributed as quickly as possible. If there is any interest, we could also hold a trading window after the break results are posted for people to trade individual cards before they ship, but that can be decided later with a poll amongst paid entrants.

So there you have it. Hopefully we can muster up more excitement than the total 1 person for Topps Inception. With this break, the average slot will get 3-4 times as many cards and pay 1/2 the price as the previous break, so hopefully price point will be more favorable.

If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. And remember, the more the merrier, so sign up today and invite your friends!

Well, I was hoping to get all of the slots filled and paid by today. As or right now…there are still 13 of 14 slots wide open. So I’m cancelling the 2011 Topps Inception case group break. User ialauder is going to get a custom Topps Inception “pack” with cards from his favorite team (auto and jersey rates not guaranteed to match overall product since I’m buying them individually).

I’m hoping this was just a matter of a high price point and that we can get much more participation from a lower end product. Topps Chrome was pretty popular last year, so maybe we can get the ball rolling for that again. Check back for updates.

And as always, your opinions and feedback are greatly valued. If there’s a product you’d like to see in a group break (box or case), let us know. We are willing to do any producct as long as there is enough interest.

Alright ladies and gents, here it is: the first ever group case break at First and Goal. Here is how it will work:

Based on feedback, we’re going to attempt a group case break of 2011 Topps Inception. The break will have a limited number of slots (14) and everything will work as first-come, first-served. To avoid any confusion on how I will determine that, we’re going to go with only accepting paid entries. So in order to enter the break, you must submit payment via PayPal first. PayPal will keep track of all the payments I receive in order, so there is no subjectivity involved.

Now, the details for the case. Note: you can purchase as many slots as you would like, limited to the number of available slots. Click the box image below to view the official First and Goal Group Breaks website which contains additional details for the break as well as a direct link to submit payment via PayPal.

CASE BREAK: 2011 TOPPS INCEPTION

Product: 2011 Topps InceptionPrice per Entry: $55.00Total Slots Available: 14Selection Process: Each entrant pays for 1 four-card slot (cards will be randomly assigned as described on the group break website

That should do it. My goal is to have all entries submitted and paid by 12:00 NOON on WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 (one week), although that may be tweaked if we have trouble getting entries in. Again, to view the official group break website (and to use the direct link to submit PayPal payments), please click HERE.

Any questions? Leave a comment on this post and I will respond as quickly as possible.

Yes, I realize there’s been a general lack of activity on the blog. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about cards or working to better organize the card closet. What it does mean is that I’ve been super busy at work and home, particularly with recently completing the requirements to become a CPA and readying the house for a baby in about 6 more weeks.

One of the things in the back of my mind has been wanting to do another group break. I’m thinking this time I’d like to try a case break as I’ve never had the opportunity to buy and bust an entire case before, and my current resources mean it will be a while off yet if I try to go it alone. So the question for y’all is what interests you? With the NFL lockout officially over, it’s time to get the football card machine in full operation. Here are some options:

1) Go with something high end that neither you nor I would typically buy into. It took take the form of something like Topps Inception. Each person would get relatively few cards, but each card, even the base cards, should be pretty sweet. Price per team would probably be around $35.

2) Go with something mid-level like Topps Chrome or Finest. The quantity per person will certainly increase over a high-end product, but there also wouldn’t be a huge drop off in quality of the hits. These products generally seem to be a pretty good bet for group break success. Price per team would probably be right around $30 (the price most likely won’t change much between the options as the quality/quantity of cards is the main difference).

3) Go with something lower-end like Topps’ flagship product. Each person gets a load of cards from their team(s) and there is still a chance for some great hits. I’d probably work a concept where you get every card from your team that is pulled, but then duplicates are pooled and evenly distributed (but all hits, regardless of duplication, go to the assigned team/person). Price per team again would probably be around $30 but might be able to drop closer to $25.

4) Go super low-end with something like Score. This might be an option specifically geared towards set collectors. I would do the duplicate pooling with this option, and with so few hits, each person could probably walk away with a nearly, if not 100%, completed base set (and hopefully a lot of inserts as well). Price per team would likely be $25 or less.

Each option would be blind submission-based. Buy-in period would run for about 1-2 weeks with each person simply signing up for one or more slots, up to 32. About a week before the group break results are disclosed, teams will be randomly assigned to paid slots, allowing a week for people to trade for favorite teams. Once the results are posted, all team assignments will be locked and cards will shoot to be mailed within a few days.

So what do you guys think? Anyone interested? If possible, I’d love to get a few group breaks going, maybe a product from each category. Also, we can spread this out over time as some products (Topps Chrome) aren’t set to release until late October anyway while others are already out (Score) or will soon release (Topps flagship). I am open to any and all suggestions for how to tweak the policies stated above and certainly for the product suggestions.